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I remember just a few days ago, I was at a friend's party when this boy I used to be friends with (let's call him V) came up to me with his friend and started talking to my friend. It was okay at first- I stayed out of the conversation because he'd disrespected me a couple months earlier. Later on, something in the conversation switched to something about traditions in our culture, and my best friend (let's call her S) said that V wasn't a girl, so he couldn't take part in the welcoming part of our culture. And out of nowhere, V just stared at me and said "well, I can be like HER and change my gender." I felt like sobbing. I just looked at the wall, controlled my breathing, and moved on. They left for a while, and then came back later, finally taking a seat at our table. S asked V why he was sitting with us all of a sudden. V looked at me again and said "well, our table didn't have ALL the genders." And I would've nodded off these things. But the tone in which he said them made me feel so uncomfortable. I knew that he was just saying that to make fun of me, because he'd made it very clear in the past that he didn't support the LGBTQ+ community. I knew all this, but it was still very hard for me to stay calm. I'm not usually a sensitive person, and I've dealt with a lot of bullying and hate directed towards me, but as I'm still trying to understand more about myself, what V said was very hurtful. I felt attacked and unsafe, and I'm still unable to shake off what he said and how he asks my friend about me sarcastically every day. I'm scared to tell people that I'm gay now, and I know people have been through worse and faced harsher levels of homophobia, but it's still very hurtful. I wish that people would accept me for once in my life and that I could just be myself without anyone judging me or harassing me.
hi there, the situation you described sounds incredibly hurtful and you are justified in feeling the way you do about it. unfortunately, there are still many people who are ignorant and unaccepting of people that are different from themselves. it is important for you to continue friendships/relationships with those that you do feel safe around, and perhaps consider creating better boundaries around those who are unkind/negative. a great source for you to also look into for additional support can be the Trevor project https://www.thetrevorproject.org that provides information and support to lgbtq people 24/7. thanks for reaching out to 2ndfloor; we are also available via text or phone call 24/7 if you need to discuss anything further!
Hello, I am so sorry that you had to experience that. I can't even imagine how you must've felt. That is a lot to process on your own. Please reach out to Youth Helpline at 888-222-2228 (tel:888-222-2228) to speak with someone. There is someone available to speak with you 24/7.
This is a safe space to share what's on your mind and to get support from real people.
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